NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2005-2006 House
election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data available
electronically on August 20, 2007.
("Help! The numbers don't add up...")

WHY DON'T THE NUMBERS ADD UP?

Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's
profile. Here's why:

Summary numbers - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are
based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. All other numbers in
these profiles ("Quality of Disclosure," "Geography" and "Special Interests") are derived from detailed FEC
reports that itemize all contributions of $200 or more.

There is also a time lag in posting the information. While summary numbers are reported almost
immediately by the FEC -- and listed quickly on OpenSecrets -- processing and analyzing the detailed records
takes much longer. For that reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based
on detailed records.

HOW CURRENT ARE THESE FIGURES?

The figures in these profiles are taken from databases uploaded by the FEC to the internet on
the first day of every month. Those databases are only as current as the FEC has been able to compile by that
date (see the note above about lag times for data entry).

The Center updates figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few
days after the first of the month. The remaining figures - based on detailed contribution data - is updated
by the Center after the 20th of every month. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize
them by industry and interest group.

Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the
Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses,
such as textbooks, contact the Center: info[at]crp.org

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